Pool’s salute to surrounds noted

Nineteen projects, including a community pool, a retail precinct and nearly a dozen homes, have been recognised in the 2025 Southern Architecture Awards.

The Roxburgh Pool by Hierarchy Group was a winner in the public architecture category for seamlessly blending practicality, sustainability and sculptural design into the riverside facility. Jurors noted how the simple geometry of the changing pavilion complemented the rugged Teviot Valley landscape, while the golden hue of a faceted screen served as a year-round reminder of autumn colours.

Roxburgh Pool by Hierarchy Group received a public architecture award. It comprises three pools, a changing pavilion and a shade structure. Photo: Lightforge

On a larger scale, the George St, Dunedin, Retail Quarter by Jasmax won the planning and urban design category for a project that began as an infrastructure upgrade but became an ambitious initiative to revitalise the city’s retail quarter. Working in collaboration with Kāi Tahu, the project aimed to make mana whenua history and narratives visible within the retail quarter, offering a more authentic representation of Dunedin’s cultural history beyond its widely recognised colonial architecture.

Jury convener and architect Mark Mawdsley said in a statement the judges were particularly impressed this year with projects that demonstrated innovation, whether that was new ways of working or use of new technologies.

The jurors said the revitalisation of Dunedin’s retail quarter by Jasmax resulted in a precinct that is "universally accessible, inclusive and speaks to Dunedin’s identity". The George St project received the planning and urban design award. Photo: Jasmax

"The new sustainability judging criteria added this year helped us uncover projects with high-performance building envelopes, use of electric power technologies and an emphasis on sourcing low-carbon or local materials. The best of the high-performance homes we saw were around 10 times more energy-efficient than a typical home built to code."

The jury presented 11 awards in the housing category, with an emphasis on projects that connected to the landscape and took advantage of the natural beauty the region is known for.

A public architecture award went to McCoy and Wixon Architects for Te Kāika Wellbeing Hub in Dunedin. The jurors said the design combined the traditional gable form of a wharenui with materials typical of the surrounding residential context to provide a sense of comfort and familiarity. Photo: Graham Warman

In commercial architecture, the upgrade to the O’Connells building by McAuliffe Stevens was recognised for injecting energy into the retail landscape of central Queenstown. In addition to seismic strengthening, colourful interior updates and new visual connections at ground level were complemented by the facade and canopies that reference the surrounding jagged landscape.

The awards are run by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects. Mawdsley was joined on the jury by Geoff Lentz (Paua Architects), Tim Ross (Architype) and lay juror Sarah McCallum (Otago Polytechnic School of Architecture).

Improved seismic strengthening and accessibility to the street were two key factors behind the upgrade of O’Connells, a 1980s shopping centre in central Queenstown. The project won McAuliffe Stevens the commercial architecture award and a Resene Colour Award. Photo: James Allan

Award winners

The full list of winners announced at an event in Queenstown last night.—

"Curio" by Ben Hudson Architects was one of 11 projects to receive awards in the housing category. Photo: John Williams

Commercial architecture and Resene Colour Award: O’Connells (Queenstown), McAuliffe Stevens.

Education: Trinity Catholic College music and art suites (Dunedin), McCoy and Wixon Architects.

The home is composed of gallery-like spaces that celebrate the owners’ passion for art. Photo: John Williams

Heritage: The Lakes District Museum (Arrowtown), Origin Heritage.

Housing: Roger’s House (Wānaka), Anna-Marie Chin Architects; Curio (Queenstown), Ben Hudson Architects; Penrith Peaks (Wānaka), Condon Scott Architects; Scout (Wānaka), Intuitive Architects; Openfield House (Arrow Junction), Keshaw McArthur and Matheson Whiteley; Manukard Gard (Queenstown), Mason & Wales Architects; Kākā Pod (Wānaka), Rafe Maclean Architects; Brick House (Wānaka), Rafe Maclean Architects; Kārearea House (Wakatipu Basin), RTA Studio; Beacon Point House (Wānaka), RTA Studio; Glenayr Farm House (Lawrence), Vaughn McQuarrie.

"Manukard Gard" in Queenstown was described by the jurors as a "generous and luxurious residence with a resolute expression of natural materials and traditional aesthetic". Photo: Simon Devitt

Housing — alterations and additions: Weather Watcher (Dunedin), ahha.

Housing — multi-unit: The Village (Queenstown), Arete Architects.